Kick-starting her career
Locally trained taekwondo athlete has Olympic-sized dreams
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com
      Giuliana Gil is polite and respectful. When the 13-year-old steps on a mat to compete in taekwondo, she takes down her opponent with the ferocity of a charging rhinoceros and the agility of a mongoose. “She completely stands out,” said Derrick Kwak, director of the American Martial Arts Academy in Simi Valley where Gil trains.
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Grace Brethren’s Leffler throws for 510 yards in loss
      Max Leffler is putting up video-game numbers. The junior quarterback for Grace Brethren’s football team set a school record for passing yards in a single game in only his third career start at the position.
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Best on the bench
Despite tragedy and injuries, Scioscia guides Angels back into the postseason
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com
      Mike Scioscia walks toward the front door at Starbucks in Oak Park dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and jeans, his hair slicked back and his head held high. On the previous night, the professional baseball team Scioscia manages, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, won the American League West pennant for the fifth time in six years.
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SVHS grad Weaver scheduled to start Game 2 vs. Red Sox
      Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim right-handed pitcher Jered Weaver, a Simi Valley High graduate, is slated to start the second game of the American League Division Series tonight against the Boston Red Sox. Weaver, who posted a 16-8 record with a 3.75 earned-run average in the regular season, will be opposed by Red Sox standout Josh Beckett (17-6, 3.86 ERA).
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